Music-leaf turner.



"No. 709,625. Patented Sept. 23, I902.

J. AHERN. v

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-$heet I,

MINNIE: lilll wan m: mums PETERS on, PNOTO-UTHOWASHINGTON. 0 :2V

No. 709,625[ Patented Sept. 23, I902.

.|. AHERN.

muslc LEAF TURNER.

(Application filed Feb. 15, 1902.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES AHERN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 709,625, dated September 23, 1902.

Application filed February 15, 1902. Serial No. 94,312. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES AHERN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Leaf Turners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to devices for turning the leaves or sheets of music for an instrumental performer, whereby the hands of the musician are left entirely free for the manipulation of the instrument.

The objects of the invention are to provide a suitable and convenient device which may be placed on an ordinary music-rack of any character and which shall be self-contained, in that when placed in position it will be ready to perform its functions and to successively turn the pages of the music at the operators will and without the aid of mechanical manipulation other than a puff of the performers breath when it is desired to turn each sheet.

To the above ends the invention consists in a holder for the sheets of music, a springoperated turner for each sheet to be turned, retaining mechanism for holding said turners, and a releasing device for said retaining mechanism having a vane or wing for controlling the same and supported in position to be readily operated by a puff of the performers breath and preferably in such position that the performer may operate the same Without changing position before the instrument or with relation to the sheets of music forming the guide for the playing of the instrument.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a musicholder and sheet-turner embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the retaining and releasing mechanism. Fig. 4 is a Vertical section on the line i 4 of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of one of the clamping-fingers mounted on the ends of the turning-arms for holding the edges of the sheets to be turned. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the retaining and releasing mechanism removed from the housing. Fig. 8 isa top plan view of the same. Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the i'etainingpawls.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The entire operating mechanism of the sheet-turner is preferably mounted upon or constitutes a part of a base which may conveniently be in the form of a board A of proper size for the music to be handled and adapted to be placed on the music-rack in just the same manner as an ordinary piece of music. This board or base A is preferably provided with laterally-extending arms B B, of wire or other material, having their ends bent back to form hooks or catches B B for holding those sheets of music which are to remain in a fiat position and are not adapted to be turned.

At the top of the base or board A is a housing 0, in which are journaled a series of sheetturners or turning-arms D, said arms being preferably journaled on a single spindle and each provided around said spindle with acasing (1, containing a spiral spring E, attached at one end to said casing and at the opposite end to the spindle E. These springs are put under tension and operate to throw the arms from the right to the left hand side in the dimotion in which the sheets are to be turned, and on the outer ends of the arms devices are provided for engaging each of the successive sheets in such manner that as each arm is released it will turn its sheet from the right to the left hand position, as will be readily understood. For retaining the arms in the righthand position and with the springs under tension the cylindrical casings or disks at the bases of the arms are provided with notches or shoulders G, with which retaining-pawls H are adapted to engage, and it will be understood that as many arms and retainingpawls are employed as there are sheets of music to be turned, three such arms and retaining-pawls being shown in the accompanying illustration. The retaining-pawls are preferably gravitating pawls in that they drop forwardly and their engaging projections c0- operate with the shoulders on the arms automatically whenever said arms are turned either singly or together from the left-hand to the right-hand position. The retainingpawls and shoulders or projections are arranged in successive order, and the upper ends of said pawls are provided with operating projections I, extending forwardly different distances, whereby they may be released successively by a suitable releasing device adapted to engage them in succession by a direct movement from front to rear. With such an arrangement if a suitable operating device or pusher K be moved against the forwardlyprojecting ends of the pawls said pawls will be successively thrown out of engagement with the respective arms, and said arms under the influence of their springs will swing around from the right to the left hand position and carry with them the sheets of music with which they are in engagement. To insure the successive operation of the arms--oue at each impulse of the releasing devicesaid arms, except the last one, are each provided with a stop projection K, arranged in proximity to the pawls and adapted to arrest the forward movement of the releasing device. Said stop projections swing with said arms and are arranged to project forwardly different distances corresponding to the positions of the operating projections on the pawls,'whereby when each pawl is released the stop projection on the arm retained by that pawl will arrest the movement of the releasing device or pusher and then be moved out of position of engagement. Thus upon the next impulse of the pusher the next pawl may be operated and the movement of the pusher arrested by the next stop projection, which latter is in turn moved out of its operative position by the swinging movement of its arm, leaving the succeeding pawl in position to be operated by the next impulse of the pusher.

Obviously the releasing device or pusher might be operated in various ways; but as a most convenient and efficient way of performing this operation and without requiring a manipulation by the performers hands and without requiring complicated and inconvenient connections whereby the operation may be carried out by an impulse of the performers foot I now provide a wing or vane, which will operate said releasing device when impinged upon by a puff of airas, for instance, a puff of the performers breath-and I suspend or support said wing or vane in front of the music-sheet turner and in convenient position for the performer to blow upon said wing or vane without removing his eyes from the music or changing his position with relation to the music on the support or sheetturner. The controlling device shown consists simply of a light rod M, suitably guided on the casing G and having at the inner end the pusher K, while at its outer end it carries or is connected with the wing or vane N. The latter preferably has its forward face concaved, so as to afford a maximum resistance to the moving current of air set up by the puff of the performers breath. As shown, this wing or vane N is pivotally suspended from a forwardly-extending arm 0, mounted on the casing, and is also pivotally connected with the rod carrying the pusher, thereby providing for the utmost flexibility of the device and insuring a successful operation with a very slight impulse applied to the wing or vanes.

On the ends of each of the turning-arms there is mounted a pendulous clamp consisting of a pair of fingers, one of which, P, is preferably rigid, but pivotally connected with the end of the arm, and the other of which, P, is a spring fastened at its base to the rigid member P. The lower end of the spring member P is formed with a finger-piece P whereby it may be sprung away from the rigid member for the admission of the edge of the sheet of music, which will be clamped thereby against the rigid member and held by the latter in proper relation to the turning-arm. The pivotal connection 19 between said spring-clamp and arm allows for any variation in the are described by the sheet and that described by the arm itself. With this arrangement the accurate positioning of the sheets of music with the hinged or pivotal edge of the music in alinement with the axis of the arm is unnecessary; but said sheets will be turned with the arms and properly positioned in their turned position even though the axis of the arms and of the sheet be out of alinement. As a consequence the music may be placed in the turner in a more or less haphazard manner, and at the same time it will be successfully and properly turned to present the new face to the performer, permitting the playing of the instrument to be continuous and avoiding all necessity of the performers removing his hands from the instrument to correctly position the sheets.

With a device such as described it is found in practice that not only are the performers hands left entirely free for the manipulation of the instrument, but there being a direct connection between the releasing mechanism and the operating wing or vane the performer is enabled to observe the music down to the last note on one page and to turn the same instantly for observation of the succeeding note on the next page without causing a break in the performance.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a music-leaf turner, the combination with a spring-pressed arm for turning the sheet and a detent for holding said arm in its set position with the spring under tension, of a releasing device for said detent embodying a wing or vane freely suspended in position and adapted to be operated by a puff of the performers breath; substantially as described.

2. In a music-leaf turner, the combination with a spring-pressed arm for turning the sheet and a detent for holding said arm in its set position with-the spring under tension, of a pusher for releasing said detent and a wing or vane connected with said pusher with means for supporting said wing or vane in front of the arm and in position to be operated by a pufi of the performers breath; substantiaily as described.

3. In a music-leaf turner, the combinatio with a spring-pressed arm and a detent for holding said arm in its set position with the spring under tension, ofa releasing-pusher for said detent, a wing or vane connected therewith and adapted to be operated by a putt of the performers breath and a support for said wing or vane extending over the path of travel of the spring-pressed arm in turning a leaf; substantially as described.

4. In a music-leaf turner, the combination with a spring-pressed arm and a detent for holding said arm in its set position with the spring under tension, of a pusher for releasing said detent and a freely-suspended wing or vane having aconcave face, connected with said pusher and supported in position and adapted to be operated by a puif of the performers breath; substantially as described.

5. In a music-leaf turner, the combination with a support, a spring-pressed arm mounted thereon and a detent for holding said arm in its set position with its spring under tension, of a longitudinally-movable rod carried by said support and extending out over the path of travel of the arm, a detent-releasin g device connected with the inner end of the rod and a wing or vane connected with the outer end of the rod and adapted to be moved by a puff of the performers breath to release the detent and allow the arm to swing; substantially as described.

6. In a music-leaf turner, the combination with a plurality of independent spring-pressed arms, detents for holding said arms in set position with the springs under tension, and a pusher for releasing said detents, of pusherstops moved by the arms and adapted to arrest said pusher when an arm is released and to be moved out of the path of said pusher by the movement of the released arm; substantially as described.

7. In a music-leaf turner the combination with a series of spring-pressed arms having detent-shoulders, a series of detents cooperating with said shoulders to hold the arms in set position with the springs under tension and a pusher cooperating with said detents successively of independent detent-stops moving with the arms each cooperating with the pusher to arrest its movement when an arm is released and itself moved out of the path of the pusher by the released arm; substantially as described.

8. In a 1n usic-leaf turner, the combination with a pivoted spring-pressed arm, a detent therefor and a releasing mechanism for said detent, of leaf-clamping fingers pivotally mounted on the end of said arm whereby a leaf may be turned by said arm when the axis of the leaf and arm are out of alinement; substantially as described.

JAMES AHERN.

Vitnesses:

SAML. HANLEIN, J. P. KENNEDY. 

